I have a pattern for a beanie with a visor. The pattern calls for using a piece of plastic canvas for the visor, and covering the plastic cut-out visor completely with duct tape before sliding it into the knitted brim area.

I'm making the hat for my husband, who is a raft guide. He's going to be wearing the hat outdoors--in all kinds of weather. It'll get wet--it'll get dirty--and he'll be hand washing it occasionally. I'm worried about how the duct tape will hold up. My experience with duct tape is that it can get gooey around the edges when wet.

Does anyone have an alternative approach? Or experience with how the duct tape will hold up? My husband "really" wants this kind of hat, so a regular beanie without a visor won't work for him.

I've seen patterns for hats with visors that don't mention duct tape. I don't see why you can't just use the mesh. The only reason I see to use duct tape is to help slide the mesh in without snagging, but that could be handled if you're just careful.

I'd suggest googling patterns or checking out Ravelry and seeing what is the general rule.

I agree that a fine plastic mesh would work as long as there weren't sharp points sticking out along the curves at the forhead and edge of the brim (ouch). The other thing I saw was a pattern that cut the brim out of the lid from Cool Whip. I wonder if the craft stores have some material like that?

Thanks! I'll give it a try without the duct tape and see how it goes. I'll also look at Ravelry.

Originally Posted by Ingrid

I've seen patterns for hats with visors that don't mention duct tape. I don't see why you can't just use the mesh. The only reason I see to use duct tape is to help slide the mesh in without snagging, but that could be handled if you're just careful.

I'd suggest googling patterns or checking out Ravelry and seeing what is the general rule.

I'll see if the local craft store has something other than the plastic mesh I can use. Thanks for the tip!

Originally Posted by salmonmac

I agree that a fine plastic mesh would work as long as there weren't sharp points sticking out along the curves at the forhead and edge of the brim (ouch). The other thing I saw was a pattern that cut the brim out of the lid from Cool Whip. I wonder if the craft stores have some material like that?

I second the recommendation to cut the brim out of sturdy plastic--my first thought. You might look around your house and see if you can find some flexible, yet sturdy, plastic that you think might work. No sense in buying something special unless you absolutely have to.

A rafting guide, huh? Now there's a profession you don't hear about every day! Good luck with your hat. I hope you have plans to make several hats for him since it might take a while for one to completely dry out (especially the brim part because of it's double thickness).

-plastic storage container that shouldn't have been microwaved that last time

-the dreaded plastic shell packaging if you could manage a piece it of unmangled and large enough to use

If the reason for the tape is to make it slide in easily, I think you might just use something smooth to temporarily wrap it and then remove the wrapping. If it's for the edges that are sharp/rough, I wonder if there might be something you could use to melt them a little and smooth them out. I have an old woodburning tool that I've used for melting holes in plastics for potting plants, but I don't know how that would work for smoothing edges.

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